PART III of V: 5 Advertising Mistakes Retailers Make Let’s avoid textbook definitions of GRPs, reach and frequency, CPP and CPM and get to the point. The vast majority of retailers do not have a clue when it comes to buying media. They often assume that because they listen to a particular radio station or… Read More: Part III: Media – Retail Media Buying – Audience vs… »
PART II of V: 5 Advertising Mistakes Retailers Make Recently I had a meeting with an accountant who does turnarounds. He attempts to save companies that are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy by nursing them back to health. I asked him whether some company owners put their ego ahead of the survival of their… Read More: PART II: What’s More Important: Your Ego or Your Business? »
PART I of V: 5 Advertising Mistakes Retailers Make We have been creating advertising for retailers for years. But we have always wondered why so many retailers insist on repeating someone else’s job. Imagine, people who are notoriously careful with their funds – car dealers who haggle with their manufacturers in a tooth and nail… Read More: PART I: Running Redundant Redundant Advertising »
When I started in the advertising industry in New York, there was some obsession with commercial wear-out. That is, at what point does the effectiveness of a commercial decline and render it less and less worth the media investment. In theory this makes a lot of sense if you buy into learning theory which holds… Read More: Commercial Wearout »
I have worked in both the US and Canada one thing I have found curious is that the markets have approached Diversity and Inclusion in two different ways. First the US: When I worked there twenty five years ago, there were quotas for “minorities” to appear in commercials. Clients required these quotas to be met… Read More: Diversity & Inclusion in Advertising; A Tale of Two Solitudes »
What are the secrets to assessing a creative presentation when your agency shows you the work? It is no secret. It is just a discipline to learn. I just got back from the presentation of a new ad. The client did very well. He knew how to evaluate the presented material and his questions and… Read More: How To Evaluate Advertising Creative »
Do you get irritated by the TV news anchors always throwing in extra adjectives to sensationalize their news stories. Every story must be “astounding,” “gripping,” or “revealing.” It is a relatively recent phenomenon. The anchors do it to make the stories seem more important and more immediate for their viewers. Just a little spin to… Read More: OMGTV News! It’s Sensational! »
Toronto should offer thanks, maybe a statue, to the one man who has made this city into the world class city it has become. When I was a kid, Toronto was a weak number two city in Canada. Montreal was the most important city with Vancouver a distant number three. Head offices were in Montreal. Everyone… Read More: Toronto Should Thank Its Most Supportive Politician »
The scary thing for most managers is that rule #1 of advertising is: GET NOTICED. Or the rest of the rules don’t matter. Many managers like to be conservative and prudent in the things they do. Which makes plenty of sense in almost everything, except advertising. In advertising, you have to stick your neck out. … Read More: Rule Number One in Advertising: Get Noticed »
Ratings seriously are off for NFL games this year and there are lots of theories why. The tumultuous US election is one reason being offered. That was a wilder reality show than the average NFL game. And people love the spontaneity of those reality shows. But could that be the only reason? One of the reasons we like sports… Read More: Sports and Loss of Spontaneity »